doctoral project
Funding for nutrition-specific health (competence) in the living environment of special living arrangements for adults with intellectual disabilities
Topic/content
Compared to the general population, adults with intellectual disabilities not only have a poorer nutritional status but also lower health and nutritional literacy and therefore fewer health opportunities.Nevertheless, the importance of nutrition and the aspect of catering for the target group of adults with intellectual disabilities has so far been largely ignored in research and practice. As a result, there is not only a lack of academic research on everyday eating and nutrition, but also a missing offer of nutrition-related and health-promoting interventions.
The overarching objective of the doctoral degree therefore passes to generate fundamental findings on everyday eating and nutrition in special forms of housing and the associated eating and nutrition-relevant situations in order to identify relevant aspects for the funding of nutrition-specific health (competence) for the residential group. To this end, it is essential to investigate which everyday eating and nutrition-relevant practices and circumstances exist in the living environment and are important from the perspective of the residents and from a professional perspective in everyday life in the residential group, so that a health-promoting organisation of everyday eating and nutrition in the residential groups can succeed. The study centres on qualitative empirical data collection methods (participant observation, guided interviews with residents and employees).
Curriculum Vitae
Academic and professional qualifications
2019: M.Sc. Public Health Nutrition
2015: B.Sc. Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences
Research activities
Since 09/2023: Scholarship holder - Fulda University of Applied Sciences
Since 03/2021: Freelance lecturer and speaker
Since 04/2019: Research assistant and lecturer at the Department of Nutritional, Food and Consumer Sciences - Fulda University of Applied Sciences
Publications (examples)
Schüßler, C. & Kroke, A. (2022). Nutritional competence of adults with intellectual disabilities: state of research and theoretical-conceptual considerations. Springer.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-62800-3_126-1
Schüßler, C., Kroke, A. & Depa, J. (2019). The need for practical nutritional support in everyday life for the supervision of adults with intellectual disabilities in the setting of supervised residential groups. In: German Nutrition Society (DGE) (2019): Proceedings of the German Nutrition Society. Proceedings of the 56th Academic Congress, Volume 25 (2019): 48.
Schüßler, C., Kroke, A. & Depa, J. (2019). Nutrition-related training needs of supervisors of adults with intellectual disabilities in the setting of supervised residential groups. German Nutrition Society (DGE) (2019): Proceedings of the German Nutrition Society. Proceedings of the 56th Academic Congress, Volume 25 (2019): 49.
Presentations (examples)
Schüßler, C; Kroke, A (2023): "Nothing about us without us" - Methodological findings from surveys of adults with intellectual disabilities in the context of nutrition. At the 60th academic congress of the German Nutrition Society "Pflanzenbasierte Ernährung im Fokus. Versatile and sustainable". On 15-17 March 2023 in Bonn.
Schüßler, C; Kroke, A (2022): Thinking outside the box: ethnographic insights into everyday catering in residential groups for adults with intellectual disabilities (gB). At the 59th Academic Congress of the German Nutrition Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e. V.) "Der Kopf isst mit - Zusammenspiel von Ernährung und Gehirn". On 16-18 March 2022, online conference.
Schüßler, C; Kroke, A; Depa, J (2019): Support needs for supervisors of adults with intellectual disabilities in the setting of supervised residential groups with regard to health promotion and prevention. At the 56th academic congress of the German Nutrition Society "Lebensjahre in Gesundheit -was leistet die Ernährung?". On 19-21 March 2019 in Giessen.
